


The Galactic Railroad

by Kagaribito



Category: Ojingeochae, Splatoon
Genre: Gen, M/M, heavily drawn from a poem, it suits them to a T
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 23:05:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5068312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kagaribito/pseuds/Kagaribito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Legendwaker's characters placed in Kenji Miyazawa's "Night on the Galactic Railroad".  A tale of selfless love and eventually tragedy. But instead of cats, it's squid kids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Afternoon Lesson

An Afternoon Lesson

"As you can see, many in history have likened it to a river, while others a stream of spilt milk. But do any of you children know what really makes up this white region in the sky?"

A teacher held his pointer to a huge black and blue map of the sky, the tip of the pointer circling the area of the Milky Way. He looked expectantly around the classroom as he did so.

Geo raised his hand, which signaled others to follow suit. Oji, who was about to raise his hand, suddenly changed his mind. He knew that it was made up of stars, he had read that in a book once, yet recently he had been sleepy in class, and thus hadn't any time to read anything, much less follow along. So, he reluctantly lowered his hand, rubbing the side of his head.

The teacher had noticed this, and so called on him, "Oji, you know the answer, don't you?"

He grimaced slightly, but stood up nonetheless. However, it was only until he stood at full height that he hadn't the answer, only a sore head in replacement. An Inkling could be heard giggling rudely, and Oji became flustered, frowning as his ears turned red.

The teacher, wishing to be of some help, spoke, "If you were to look at the Milky Way through a telescope, what would you see?"

Oji totally and completely knew the answer, yet his mouth wouldn't let him say a word. he could still hear that Inkling giggle, and could feel Geo's gaze on him, knowing that he was worried for him.

The teacher, now confused at the boy's silence, turned to Geo. "What say you, Geo?"

Geo, who had raised his hand eagerly not so long ago, exhibited the same behavior as Oji- fidgeting in place, unable to speak. The teacher was surprised, readied his pointer, and turned to the starmap again, "If you were to look at the Milky Way on a clear night with a decent telescope, you'd find that it is made of stars. Isn't that right, Oji?"

Oji, whose eyes were downcast and stinging, nodded, thinking all the while, 'I know the answer, and so does Geo. We read it together, in a book once.'

He could remember Geo settling down next to him, he could remember their hands running over the pictures of white specks plastered against a black expanse of paper. 'The only reason Geo didn't answer right away is because he feels sorry for me. He knows that I have to work before and after school, and that I'm too tired to even talk with him anymore.'

At the thought of how Geo had deliberately missed the question out of sympathy, Oji felt indescribably sad. For Geo and himself, both.

"So," continued the teacher, "If you think of the Milky Way as a sort of celestial river, then each star can be considered as a grain of sand on the river's bed. You ask yourself, 'what do these grains actually do?' and you can find that they give off light that travels through the void of space, while our home and our Sun float inside of it, too. So, just as you see that water appears bluest at its deepest points, so will the most stars gathered in one place appear at its haziest."

He brought out a thick piece of glass, convex on both sides. Within it held shining grains of sand that spiraled to mimic the night sky.

"Imagine yourself within the center, looking out. You would see very few stars, and would be looking in the direction of our home. Yet, if you were to be where we are, looking in to where the glass is at its thickest, you'd see a great number of stars, everything being blurred do to the sheer number of grains- ah, stars . This is how we see our galaxy, the Milky Way."

A bell sounded off, followed by the rustling of books being put away and chairs sliding, the teacher spoke over the noise "Tonight is the Milky Way Festival, keep in mind what we learned and take a moment to look at the night sky, and stay safe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oji is Giovanni  
> Geo is Campanella  
> and Chae is to be the "mother/sister" character of Giovanni


	2. The Inking House

The Inking House

As Oji walked out of the classroom, a few Inklings ran to gather in the schoolyard, circling Geo, most likely talking about plans on how to get prizes from the festival stalls, or how to make the perfect paper boat to float down the river. He continued to walk, passing the many buildings of Inkopolis to arrive to his place of work. Stepping in to the loud establishment , the foreman handed him a sheet of paper, loudly saying "This should be enough for you today."

Opening the door to the quieter side of the printing house, he noted that the bright lights were still on despite the afternoon sun still being perched high in the sky. He headed to his corner of the room, nicely lit, pulled out a box filled with tiny metal pieces of type, and began to set the letters together, one by one, to match the sheet of paper he had been given.

At first he had a good pace, set a sort of rhythm for himself as he set the type, and was well off.

"Hey, One-Eye!" crowed a man beind him, others laughing coldly. At this, Oji frowned a dangerous look on his features as he continued with his work, yet his eye began to act up, bringing with it it's aches and pains. He picked his type, rubbing at his blurring vision, and eventually finished. After comparing his box to the sheet of paper, the foreman took the box with a slight nod, and slipped Oji a silver coin. With this, he left the establishment, and walked through the darkened streets, whistling cheerfully. He spotted a sweet shop, and in thought of his sister, Chae, bought a bag of candies. With that, he walked at brisker pace, glad to finally be able to return home.

As he opened the door to his home, his sister smiled widely, "Oji! How was work?"  
"Alright. How've you been feeling?"  
"Good. It was a cool day today. How's Geo?"  
At this, Oji looked a bit sad, "Dunno. He seems fine."  
"You didn't get to spend any time with him today, didn't you?"  
"No."  


At this, the little Inkling sighed in exasperation, "You two used to be together for practically everything! Why can't things be like the way they were before?"  
"Because I gotta work?"  
"I wish you didn't have to."  
"But I do. For you." at this Oji smiled, and nudged his sister with his arm. She responded by batting his arm away with a grunt, and continued.  
"You should go and find him for the festival. Everyone's celebrating so that means you gotta celebrate too."  
"Says who?"  
"Me," she said as she took the candy he brought, "Now go, and be careful."  
With a slight kick to her brother's rump, she closed the apartment door. After a moment, she looked at the bag of candy, and smiled wickedly.  
"All according to plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chae's plan is to not share.  
> I swear things will pick up, it's just that the story likes to take it's time to set the tone. And you will see more of Geo, I s2g he's on his way.
> 
> Anyways, as to what Oji's job is, it's a printing press. Back then they used to have to get these pair of tweezers and pick out every individual letter, punctuation, and space for the newspaper- really painstaking. So for this AU one can blame Oji's eye on this job he took up.


	3. The Centaur Festival

The Centaur Festival

Oji sauntered onto the dark streets, his purple tentacles being cast in yellow street lights. He could see many other bright, colorful lights towards the center of the city, where the festival was likely kicking off. He smiled at the thought of being with Geo for the first time in what seemed like forever, yet his pleasant thoughts were interrupted by the rude Inkling that had thought it was a cute idea to laugh at his headache earlier that day.  
Said Inkling face contorted to a rude grin, "So how's your eye? Still keeping ya from focuisng?"  
Oji's eyes widened, his chest going cold as a ringing filled his ears, "Who the hell do you think you are?!" he yelled, bringing his fist up, yet the Inkling had ran off, leaving Oji to boil in his thoughts.  
'What the hell is that guy's problem? Pretty spineless to run without putting up a fight.'   
It was in just a few seconds that he himself was a squid and therefore spineless, his mind brushed that off and kept to mentally cursing out the rude Inkling.  
He came closer to the center of town, music and lively chatter being heard as he walked. A shop stood by, displaying trinkets made of glass and shining metals. A shop where Chae would've definitely made him stop at. A map filled with constellations was displayed, flanked by gleaming telescopes standing upon glittering tripods. A glass model of the Milky Way, much like the one the teacher had used but bigger and with various colors of sand, stood upon a small perch, catching the display lights to attract any passerby. For a moment, Oji wondered what it'd be like to traverse the wonders with Geo, just the two of them.  
Then he remembered that he had to find him, and so left the shop.   
The air was fresh and crisp, with little children running here and there, laughing as they carried bags of candies and small toys commonly given during such a festival. They would sing to the tune of the festival:

'O Centaurus, Let the Dew Fall!'

Yet he couldn't stop walking, and soon found himself at the edge of town once again, a single soul now no longer in sight. At this, he sighed in frustration, noting that approaching sounds were growing louder. As his luck would have it, at the forefront of the group stood the rude Inkling, now with a pack of subordinates.  
'Shit.' he thought, a searing pain shooting through his temple, 'Just keep walking.'  
He walked on, putting on his best 'devil-may-care' facade and walked in a cool manner. As he passed them, they stopped and, without fail, made a rude remark, "Where you headed, One-Eye?"  
Oji could only frown deeply, continuing to walk into the darkness, even passing Geo, who was just barely going to greet him. Yet Oji kept walking, and soon found himself at the foot of a dark hill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It'll pick up quite soon, trust me, and the chapters'll be longer. I kept the original chant for the festival due to symbolism.


	4. The Weather Station's Pillar

Hills rolled on past the city, looking dark and hazy in a soft mist as the stars glowed in their murk overhead. Oji walked through a tunnel of trees that dripped with dew, fireflies floating here and there, hiding behind leaves and making them glow a rich green. He climbed up a narrow, worn, path noting that a clearing was above him- the deep blue sky was now visible. From here the pillar of the weather station could be seen poking out of a bed of flowers, as if it too was a plant. The fragrance was so strong it was as if the night was supposed to be scented this way. A bird was awakened from its slumber and flew out of a nearby tree, chirping melodically.

Oji neared the base of the pillar, unceremoniously plopping into the cold grass. The city’s lights burned below, as if they were embers trying to burn away the encroaching darkness. As he breathed he listened to the faraway bustle of the city, pulling at his collar to cool down. As if in response, the wind crawled across the hill, bringing the rustling of plants and effectively cooling him. Yet the wind also seemed to carry something even stranger.

The sound of a train, apparently.

Oji looked to his side, one eyebrow raised in confusion. Sure enough, a locomotive pulled out behind him, surrounded by steam, strange lights, and the sound of laughter. He rose from his seat, peering through the thick steam to see people within richly lit cars lined with red seats and carpets, peeling apples, chatting, overall having an excellent time. 

“The fuck?” He thought. Trying his best to ignore a suffocating sadness that came over him. Trains didn’t run out here, especially ones that looked so… old. He jumped back at a strangely floating skeleton of a triangular pyramid, and proceeded to wonder if there was anything inside the candy he had bought. He rubbed at his head, and looked up at the sky.

This did not help. Whatsoever.

The sky held pictures of many things. Of instruments he’d never seen, animals of strange form, and beings that looked like him, but without tentacles (really weird). Even stranger, names began to be associated within his mind- Lyra, a harp. He quickly looked to the train, and asked but one question-

“What the hell?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is terribly short, and I am very sorry for that. I think I'll update on a weekly basis.


	5. The Milky Way Station

Through the sound of hissing steam and rustling vegetation Oji could hear a faint sound calling from beyond his view. Behind him the weather pillar turned into a brightly shining light of silver, piercing the deep night sky with its point. 

“All aboard! Milky Way Station! Allllll abooaaard!”

And he was about to reply, but an intense light stopped him. It was as if someone stumbled upon a hidden cache of diamonds and lit them up with concentrated sunlight. Even the night sky’s stars flared in brightness, swallowing any darkness and lavishing everything in a cold, harsh light. Oji could only shield his eye in response.

He came to, blinking at the yellow of the lights of the train car. He felt the soft, velveteen seats under him as the train bounced and shifted. He blinked a few more times, looking out the window in confusion. He listened for a bit, and wondered where all those happy people went. He looked around, and noted that his car was empty…

Save for one other person. By the white jacket, by the shoulders, and by his tentacles, Oji immediately knew who it was. Just as he was about to call him, the Inkling turned to him, smiling warmly.

“Looks like everyone missed the train, ‘cept us, huh?” grinned Geo.

Oji could only blink, “Yeah…?”

“You should’ve seen them- they ran like mad, but no one could catch me.”

Oji took a seat next to him, and noted that Geo’s coat was a bit wet. Geo, who frowned a bit, replied “It started to rain as I came here,” he took out a cloth and began drying himself, “you of all people know how dear this jacket is to me.”

At this Oji smiled, remembering exactly how they got their jackets, and he was about to ask if he needed help drying off, when Geo pulled out a circle of dark obsidian.

“Looks like we’ll be stopping at a place called Swan Station. I hope they actually have swans to look at.” He turned his circle this way and that, as if he had done this many times before. Oji peered at the circle to see a single line running along a mass of white stars- the train tracks. Yet every so often a station would appear, illustrated by a yellow triangle. Rivers, forests, and plains were highly detailed in their blues and greens, these inlaid in the obsidian and moving with the map.

Oji wondered as to how there was landmasses in the vastness of space, and figured that Geo had somehow had the candy he had. He shrugged, and so asked, “Where’d you get the map?”

“Milky Way Station. You didn’t get one?” Geo asked, looking a bit worried.

Oji felt around in his pockets, shaking his head. The train slowed to a stop, and Oji spoke “I guess we’re here?” They peered out the window, only for their view to be blocked by steam. Agreeing that they had plenty of time, they stood and were about to leave, yet the doors stayed shut.

“I guess it was a… drill…” Geo was fixated on what lay outside the window. Oji turned, and immediately put his hands on the glass, his mouth dropping. 

Tall yellow grass swayed in cosmic wind, looking like an ocean as it surrounded a crystal blue river. The ripples the water made shone gently, the sand at the bottom creating purple light in the water as the grains trapped light within its prisms. More skeletons of shapes began to float around- the most common being a triangular pyramid, glowing it’s ghostly, pale glow. The sky remained its cobalt blue, with the stars looking closer than ever.

A field of majestically colored gentians dominated the outside for a bit, blue light spilling through the car windows. Oji was smiling the entire time, “Want me to get you some of those?” he asked Geo. Geo could only shake his head, smiling “We already passed them now.”

Sure enough, a yellow light shone again- the field of flowers had passed. Yet as soon as Geo said they had passed, another batch appeared, and another, and another. Oji grinned at Geo, only for him to pull him down to the seat. “You’re not jumping off the train to get me flowers.”

“But they’re right there, I don’t even haf’ta jump, I just gotta lean out the window and-“

“No.”

“But-“

Geo gave him a stern look, and Oji knew that he lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //It's important to remember that Geo's clothes are wet.


	6. The Northern Cross & The Coast Pliocene

“I wonder if my grandmother will forgive me.” Said Geo absentmindedly as he stared out the window. Oji raised an eyebrow at the oddness of Geo’s words. Geo’s finger began to scratch at the window’s pane, “I’d go to the ends of the earth to make her happy… But I can’t figure out what would make her happiest.”  
“I’m sure she’s fine with how you are now. She has her health, too.” Oji replied, hoping to get Geo out of whatever he was stuck in.  
…It looked like it had no effect.  
Bright white light flooded their car, and the two looked to see an island floating amoung the dark blue space, glowing with a pale white light. From it spilled water flowing over a riverbed of diamonds… or just pebbles? The gleaming light made it difficult to discern diamonds from dewdrops, and atop this island stood a silent and forever shining cross, surrounded by a glowing yellow halo. The two could hear excited whispers from the other seats, yet as the island disappeared down the track, the whispers fell.  
Geo glanced at the obsidian plate, “Looks like we’ll be at a place called Swan Station.”  
“How do you read that thing?” Oji peered over the plate’s edge, “It looks confusing.”  
“It’s not so hard. Wanna check it out?” Geo offered.  
Oji thought on it, “Hmm… No.” he grinned, to which Geo nudged him away playfully.  
Light posts of varying colors glowed through the windows as the two smiled at each other fondly, the train easing in speed and coming to a stop. The announcement board flickered on, and thus read:  
THIRTY MINUTE STOPOVER  
Passengers rose from their seats and filed off, the two waiting for the crowd to disperse. They sat for a moment, only for Oji to ask, “Wanna get off?”  
Geo gave a laugh, “Sure.”  
The two walked off the train to the station, but found that it was completely deserted. All that made a sound was the hum of lights and their footsteps echoing off marble walls. Not even a stationmaster was seen, or even one of their fellow passengers.  
“The hell is everyone?” Oji asked, leaning forward to peer down the stations’ hall. Geo answered with the same confused expression as he glanced around. Figuring that everyone was outside the station, the two joined at each other’s elbows and began to walk together down the white-tiled path, passing by squares framed by flowering trees and filled with blooming plants, noting that the passengers indeed vanished. Soon they came upon the river they could see from their car windows.  
Geo crouched and took up a handful of sand and grated it between his thumb and palm, noting that each grain wasn’t sand, but crystals. Oji peered at the sand that fell and admired its faint glow it gave off, noting that even within each grain, a tiny light was held. Geo, wanting to rinse off the grains, submerged his hand into the phosphorescent water, only to find that the water was something to behold of as well. The bubbles that clung to Geo’s hand glittered as they looked into the clearest water they’ve seen. Yet somehow as they were distracted with the river, they only just noticed that there was a giant slab of white rock jutting over the river’s entire upstream section, holding up an entire excavation crew.  
And thus the confused looks returned. Slowly, the two approached the site, noting the light sounds of precise metal tools hitting against rock growing louder. A carved nameplate stood at the beginning of the white rock’s source, dusty from the residue of the team’s work:  
THE PLIOCENE COAST  
The two could spot an old man walking amoungst the crouched figures that were picking away at the rock, shoveling, or brushing at bones. He spoke loudly as he peered at his notebook through thick glasses, the beast they were excavating protruding cleanly from the rock.  
“Don’t break that condyle! And you, use softer strokes when brushing that fossa, it all must be intact!”  
They were just about to ask what animal it was when a sharp crunch sounded from under Oji’s boot, surprising them both. He lifted his shoe to find not fragments of bone, but fragments of a black shell of a seed.  
“Walnuts.” Sounded the old scholar from a few feet away, his small eyes twinkling from behind the glasses, “They’re around 1.2 million years old? Rather recent, I’d say.”  
“…what?”  
“This entire area was once a coastline, and instead of this freshwater, there was nothing but brine and sea waves here. This creature is an ancestor to the bovine species, and-“  
“You gonna display this in a museum?” asked Oji, stepping over a yellowed trochanter.  
“Oh no no no, this is for evidence. This creature is embedded in thick metamorphic stratum, yet others might say it’s just water or empty sky, you follow? And while… wait, don’t use a pickaxe, use a chisel!! There is definitely thoracic vertebra under there!”  
The scholar left the two to watch him scurry over the beast. Geo, silently pointing to his watch, indicated that it was time to leave. So they strolled off the Pliocene Coast, past the phosphorescent river and its glittering sand, through the marble pathways framed with blooming trees. As they walked, Oji couldn’t help but imagine that thy could go about the world without a care.  
He smiled at the thought while he looked out at the empty station, the train lurching forward to its next destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated... hoo man.  
> Thankfully my courses in biology came in handy this chapter.


End file.
